Prevalence and associated factors of early sexual initiation among youth female in sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis of recent demographic and health surveys |
Authors: |
Tigist Andargie Ferede, Atalay Goshu Muluneh, Alemakef Wagnew and Agmasie Damtew Walle |
Source: |
BMC Women's Health, 23 |
Topic(s): |
Reproductive health Sexual behavior
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Country: |
Africa
Multiple African Countries
Angola
Benin
Burundi
Congo Democratic Republic
Congo
Cote D'Ivoire
Cameroon
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Gambia
Guinea
Kenya
Comoros
Liberia
Lesotho
Mali
Mauritania
Malawi
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
Namibia
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Senegal
Chad
Togo
Tanzania
South Africa
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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Published: |
MAR 2023 |
Abstract: |
Background: Early sexual initiation is a major public health concern globally, specifically in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries where reproductive health care services are limited. It is strongly related to increased risk of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, adverse birth outcomes, and psychosocial problems. However, there is limited evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of early sexual initiation among youth females in SSA.
Methods: A secondary data analysis was employed based on the recent DHSs of sub-Saharan African countries. A total weighted sample of 184,942 youth females was considered for analysis. Given the hierarchical nature of DHS data, a multilevel binary logistic regression model was fitted. The Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Median Odds Ratio (MOR), and Likelihood Ratio (LR) test were used to assess the presence of clustering. Four nested models were fitted and the model with the lowest deviance (-2LLR0 was selected as the best-fitted model. Variables with p-value?0.2 in the bivariable multilevel binary logistic regression analysis were considered for the multivariable analysis. In the multivariable multilevel binary logistic regression analysis, the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with the 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was reported to declare the strength and statistical significance of the association.
Results: The prevalence of early sexual initiation among youth females in sub-Saharan Africa was 46.39% [95%CI: 41.23%, 51.5%] ranging from 16.66% in Rwanda to 71.70% in Liberia. In the final model, having primary level education [AOR?=?0.82, 95% CI; 0.79, 0.85], and [AOR?=?0.50, 95%CI; 0.48, 0.52], being rural [AOR?=?1.05, 95%CI: 1.03, 1.07], having media exposure [AOR?=?0.91, 95%CI: 0.89, 0.94], and belonged to a community with high media exposure [AOR?=?0.92, 95%CI: 0.89,0.96] were found significantly associated with early sexual initiation.
Conclusion: The prevalence of early sexual initiation among youth females in SSA was high. Educational status, wealth index, residence, media exposure, and community media exposure have a significant association with early sexual initiation. These findings highlight those policymakers and other stakeholders had better give prior attention to empowering women, enhancing household wealth status, and media exposure to increase early sexual in the region. |
Web: |
https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-023-02298-z |
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